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Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Virginia Dale, Marjorie Reynolds, Walter Abel ... see more see more... , Louise Beavers , Marek Windheim , Jacques Vanaire , Judith Gibson , Shelby Bacon , Joan Arnold , Edward Arnold Jr. , Irving Bacon , Leon Belasco , James Bell , Karin [Katharine] Booth , June Ealey , John Gallaudet , Lynda Grey , Oscar G. Hendrian , Robert E. Homans , Bud Jamison , Kitty Kelly , Lora Lee Michel , Reed Porter , David Tihmar , Harry Barris , Barbara Slater , Laurie Douglas , Louise LaPlanche , Ronnie Rondell , Bob Locke Lorraine

Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire star in Holiday Inn as a popular nightclub song-and-dance team. When his heart is broken by his girlfriend, Crosby decides to retire from the hustle-bustle of big city sho... read more read more...wbiz. He purchases a rustic New England farm and converts it to an inn, which he opens to the public (floor show and all) only on holidays. This barely logical plot device allows ample space for a steady flow of Irving Berlin holiday songs (including an incredible blackface number in honor of Lincoln's Birthday). Oddly enough, the most memorable song in the bunch, the Oscar-winning White Christmas, is not offered as a production number but as a simple ballad sung by Crosby to an audience of one: leading lady Marjorie Reynolds. Fred Astaire's best moment is his Fourth of July firecracker dance. Ah, but what about the plot? Well, it seems that Astaire wants to make a film about Crosby's inn, starring their mutual discovery Reynolds. Bing briefly loses Reynolds to Astaire, but wins her back during the filming of a musical number on a Hollywood soundstage (eleven years earlier, Bing enjoyed a final clinch with Marion Davies under surprisingly similar conditions in Going Hollywood). As with most of Irving Berlin's "portfolio" musicals of the 1940s, the song highlights of Holiday Inn are too numerous to mention. This delightful film is far superior to its unofficial 1954 remake, White Christmas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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86% liked it

10,919 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

21 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Mark Sandrich

Release Date: January 1, 1942

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DVD Release Date: November 2, 1999

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Good ol' Bing Marjorie Reynolds
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Flixster Reviews (769)

  • ajv2688
    October 13, 2010
    ajv2688
    If you love Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Irving Berlin, you need to see this movie. If not, you'll be annoyed with all the song and dance numbers going on. Only see this if you're a fan.
  • moonrivers
    August 7, 2007
    moonrivers
    you know all the songs...it's all about a life you never knew...but they want you to BE THERE and you want to be there too...don't you? sing the songs and miss the place you never were at...one of the most in-your-face fantasies hollywood ever did, about that most sacred of holi... read moredays: all of them. enjoy
  • trisarahtops22
    January 5, 2012
    trisarahtops22
    I enjoyed this a lot! It was charming and funny.
  • irisheyes686
    December 28, 2010
    irisheyes686
    This was pretty cute and very entertaining. I wish the DVD hadn't kept skipping, but what I saw was good!
  • Doctor0Quinzel
    December 15, 2010
    Doctor0Quinzel
    Shallow and bore. Come On people there are far better musicals out there!
  • alice5mith
    December 25, 2009
    alice5mith
    Delightful dancing and music, as I expected.
  • sumsitup
    January 2, 2012
    sumsitup
    A great classic film that holds up well to this day. The dance numbers with Fred Astaire are beautiful, the songs of Bing Crosby rich and warm, and the evergreen story of love lost, found and perhaps lost again not only still ring true but provide the depth of emotions in this f... read moreilm. It's a great Christmas movie, but also fits well into romance, musicals, song & dance, and classics. I think White Christmas is the better "Christmas" film, but felt that this was the better movie overall.
  • c4blewupmybaby
    December 12, 2011
    c4blewupmybaby
    Irving Berlin's 1942 song and dance charmer, Holiday Inn, is a film which, in order to come up with the proper adjective I must hearken back to simpler times. Time when the worst thing one could do is steal the others girl and even then the offense is taken care of with a properl... read morey placed song and plot arrangement -- such as portrayed in films like these. Yes, this movie is utterly delightful. There, I said it. It exudes charm and grace.

    Of course, we are dealing with the two greatest song and dance men of their, and possibly any other time -- Bing Crosby and Fred Astair. In fact, there's a cute little number (no I'm not referring to a woman, that would be gangster speak) where Fred and Bing vie for the affections of the same woman putting forth their talents as collateral for the love bank. It's rather comical when one tries to impersonate the others gifts. Astair is not a terrible singer by any means, but Bing's dancing leaves much to be desired. In fact, it's quite hilarious to watch.

    The story revolves around two show-biz types. Ted is perfectly happy on the stage making a good living for himself as he cavorts around in top hat and tails, taking the floor with beautiful women in arm. Jim, on the other hand is looking for a simpler way of existing, something a nice farm in Connecticut, and a wife could offer. The only problem is that the woman that Jim thinks he's going to marry has plans of her own. She's more of a penthouse lady than pig sty, you see. She decides that she loves Jim's soon to be ex-partner's money and pledges her frivolous love to him for a time... that is until a rich Texan offers her a ring and a couple million dollars ta-boot.

    Jim sweeps the heartbreak aside as if it were lint on a jacket and goes to opening his little inn which opens its doors only on holidays (and here you thought this film was about a motel chain). Jim eventually finds a new girl who can sing and dance -- and by the way, she likes him. Isn't that nice. But Ted decides he likes her too. After all, he needs a new dance partner. And so the feud continues on.

    As I said, this film really is quite charming. It's got a joy which was common among old song and dance pictures of the time which you never see anymore. It has some wonderful numbers in it as well, both song and dance. The music, of course, is all composed by legendary writer Irving Berlin who, even if you are not familiar with the name I can guarantee you know at least one of his songs. In fact, this was the film which introduced his most famous work (which would later be turned into Christmas musical of its own starring Bing Crosby), White Christmas. This is the part where you say, "Oh! That's the guy." Yeah, that's the guy.

    Apart from the multiple numbers, there is not much else here in way of great entertainment. But when you have wall to wall tracks filling up your musical, what more do you really need? Is this film important? Does it have something to say. Well, in it's own little way... No. It has nothing to say. Go with the flow, if anything and, Hollywood will make it all right in the end. But what kind of message were you looking for in the first place? If it can't be fixed with a song, than what's the use in filming it. Right? Right. I guess so.

    (Continuance):

    It's been a day now since I sat down and watched this holidays family feature, and subsequently imparted my own view on the picture to those non-existent fans who adore my criticisms. And since a day has now come and gone, I am left with a itching, slightly irritating gnawing upon my social conscience. Yes, after all of that whimsical praise I heaped upon this wonderful little film, I must come back to it and burst my perfectly shaped little bubble.

    Now as I think back on the film there is only one real dominant scene for me, and boy is it a doosie. It takes place during Lincoln's birthday. Can you see it coming? Yup. I cannot get over the horrid black-face routine that Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds perform. The sound of it is not all that bad and, in a weird way, somewhat amusing. But when you are confronted with it, the scene is nothing but cringe inducing. It gives you a greater understanding of the kind of passive-aggressive racism which was so acceptable back in that day. It's really horrific. No they aren't burning crosses in peoples front yards, but in many respects it is just as bad. It's dehumanizing.

    Another issue I take in the same scene is when the song is given off to Louise Beavers' character, Mamie (yes, Mamie. I know...), the house-maid. The song thus far is praising Abraham Lincoln for emancipating the slaves, likening him to a Moses figure leading the Israelites out from Egypt. In fact, they only refer to him as Abraham, making the allusion toward the father of the Jewish people (although that would never be mentioned in that day, as Jews were despised almost as much as black people were). As the song is handed over to Mamie, she has her two children with her as she sings the verse:

    "When black folks lived in slavery
    Who was it set the darkie free?
    Abraham, Abraham"

    I find it nearly unforgivable that the only black character which is given anything at all to do in the picture must defame her own people by using the derogatory term, "darkie." I find it absolutely despicable.

    Needless to say, this small section of the picture places an irremovable bad taste in my mouth which colors the rest of the film with an ominous spot. I can no longer, in good conscience watch this film. In fact, the copy that I now own is getting tossed out on its sorry rear end. And that's the way it is.

    Good night, and good luck.
  • jackwaldron
    May 19, 2011
    jackwaldron
    An older gentlemen I know, a friend, a guy from Hollywood old enough to remember the Hollywood glory days every now and then gives me movie suggestions. One day awhile back I mentioned I had just seen Swing Time (Stevens, 1936), my very first Fred Astaire film. Incredulous, he ... read moreproceeded to give me a list of Fred Astaire films that were must watch. After seeing Holiday Inn (Sandrich, 1942) I can honestly say I now see why both Astaire and Bing Crosby were as hugely popular and successful as they were. To say it best, Holiday Inn is a remarkable film and a masterpiece. And there are things from this film that endure within our culture to this very day.
    The most enduring aspect of the film, the one most widely known is the song White Christmas. The song is used several times throughout the film and also serves as the signpost for the love story of the narrative between Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) and Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds). The song is beautifully sung by Crosby and his rendition has become a holiday staple embedded in our lives. His deep and rich voice give the song resonance and I defy anyone to not immediately know the song upon hearing the first few bars. The song speaks ubiquity.
    Speaking of things that are seemingly everywhere, are there two men more associated with their chosen professions than Astaire is to dancing and Crosby is to crooning? Both of these two performers, remarkable as they are, set the standards for so many that have followed since, and this is a testament to how incredible their talent was. And within this film, the dynamic that exists between Jim Hardy and Ted Hanover (Astaire) gives this film something extra, something special. It's as if the two of them together strike perfect balance. Neither allows the other to dominate the screen, or the narrative. Their opening and closing number, where they "battle" each other through singing and dancing is just incredible. Beautiful to the ears and to behold. And because of the strength of this film's narrative, their best work comes when both are neither singing or dancing. The chemistry between the two when vying for the affections of either Linda or Lila (Virginia Dale) is great and makes the film so much fun to watch. As Hanover and his agent run after Mason after spying her at the Inn, as Hardy leads them up and down the steps, inevitably delaying them, this is pure magic. Comedy at it's finest, with no crudeness or vulgarity. With today's shock and awe comedy, much of which fails to hold up five to ten years later, to see a work of such fine artistry hold up seventy years later makes a statement.
    Unfortunately another statement is made as well. It is hard to go back and fault filmmakers for including things in their film after so much time has passed. It is still remarkably hard to watch any scene done in black face and for that matter any role portrayed by actual black actors seemingly prior to Sidney Poitier's arrival as a major player in Hollywood. To see Crosby and Reynolds singing Abraham in black face just hurts as does the caricature that Mamie and her family is within the text of the film. Surely the filmmakers had to struggle with this as years later it is still a wound to our collective psyches.
    Finally, it is a struggle for myself personally sometimes to watch many of the old classics that I do. With a star such as Fred Astaire, many times his roles are the same from film to film. He was a star due to his magical feet and obviously Hollywood was going to capitalize on the magic of his dancing. Still, you would love to see some variance. And with Holiday Inn, I think I finally got to see that variance. Astaire is allowed to play against type a little, to be a heel. He goes after Crosby's girl not once but twice! And he is a career oriented guy willing to do anything for his career. A man self absorbed. Which, from what I've read about Astaire, is exactly what he was in real life. So in the end, this allowance of Astaire to play a more realistic role ultimately sets this film above his others for me. I would love to be able to transpose Astaire into a role done today, and see if with some more realistic acting training he couldn't just amaze us as he did in the early days of Hollywood. Holiday Inn is a remarkable film, something everyone should rent around Christmas and watch with the family. It's well worth it.
  • manishboy
    January 3, 2011
    manishboy
    I make it a point to watch this every year at Christmas. Unfortunately, AMC thought that certain scenes should be cut out. What a shame that it is now 'censored'!!!

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Critic Reviews

December 5, 2008
TIME Magazine

Crosby's easy, casual banter is just the right foil for Astaire's precision acrobatics, his wry, offbeat humor. Full Review

Variety Staff
November 27, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Loaded with a wealth of songs, it's meaty, not too kaleidoscopic and yet closely knit for a compact 100 minutes of tiptop filmusical entertainment. Full Review

Theodore Strauss
August 8, 2006
Theodore Strauss, New York Times

Holiday Inn offers a reason for celebration not printed in red ink on the calendar.

Scott G. Mignola
January 2, 2011
Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media

Classic musical with some controversial material. Full Review

Fran Hortop
December 5, 2008
Fran Hortop, Film4

Not the best film for either of the film's stars, but Astaire proves that he can dance even without Ginger. Full Review

November 27, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The film's highlight is a bang-up July 4th 'Let's Say It with Firecrackers' that finds Astaire in fine form. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

The Irving Berlin score, including 'Easter Parade' and 'Let's Say It with Firecrackers' (which gives Fred his best moment) makes up for the thin story. Full Review

Steve Crum
October 25, 2004
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan

Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Want more? Stir in the first singing of Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas' and 'Happy Holidays.'

Steven D. Greydanus
December 26, 2003
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide

True to type, Crosby plays nice and Astaire shallow… The story writes itself, careful never to get in the way of big production numbers for every holiday on the calendar. Full Review

Christopher Varney
December 8, 2002
Christopher Varney, Film Threat

Call it old-fashioned or old Hollywood fluff, Holiday Inn is a sweet, pleasant slice of another time in pop entertainment. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Ted Hanover: I like it here... with you and Linda. [to Hardy]
    • Jim Hardy: answers: And we love having you. When are you leaving?
    • Francois: How can I stop him sir when I don't know which way is Connecticut!
    • Jim Hardy: A drink? Boy you were fractured!
    • Mamie: [about winning Linda back] You could melt her heart right down to butter, if you'd only turn on the heat!
    • Linda Mason: You sound sweet, but you don't make sense.
    • Ted Hanover: A gentle smile often breeds a kick in the pants.
    • Jim Hardy: What brings you here on this bright and uninviting day?
    • Ted Hanover: He always has that look! It doesn't mean anything emotionally. It has something to do with his... liver.
    • Ted Hanover: Well, I love Jim too... but let's not get too chummy.
    • Jim Hardy: Right now I've got the ledger in an iron lung.
    • Danny Reid: How'd he get that far in five minutes?
    • Danny Reid: The world can't do this to us!
    • Ted Hanover: It's going to be easy - like peeling a turtle.
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Holiday Inn Trivia

  • In which movie did the song "White Christmas" first appear?  Answer »
  • Which film did the famous song "White Christmas" make it's debut?  Answer »
  • In which movie do you first hear the song "White Christmas"?  Answer »
  • What movie was the song White Christmas originally written and heard in?  Answer »
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